Japan Women's Futsal National Team  ARIHARA Masaaki Coachs' Comment

I resigned as Coach of the Japan Women's Futsal National Team on 31 December, 2015.

It has been 5 years since the 1st World Women’s Futsal Tournament took place in December, 2010, and I have been supported by a lot of former players, regional coaches, and JFA staff members. Thank you very much for all of the support I received during my coaching period. 

It was in 2010 when I took over the prestigious team that had achieved 2 consecutive titles in Asia under the former Coach NAKAMURA Kyohei.

We have played against other strong countries every year in the World Tournament and we shared the passion with these countries for realising the FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup in the future. Even though we have had to understand the big gap between these countries through overwhelming defeats, we kept challenging them again and again and this team has grown up through these experiences. Leading this ambitious team was nothing other than a fortunate for my life.

Through this work, I understood that expressing how we have to be as a person, which is equal to identity, on the pitch of any country as a squad player is the important mission of the national team, and this is the great challenge. 

This team accomplished the 3rd consecutive title in the Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games in 2013, and in the next year, we were able to beat one of the 4 strongest teams in the world, Russia, for the first time and earlier than any other country. 

The first AFC Women’s Futsal Championship in 2015 was our long-cherished hope for Japan’s Women’s Futsal. The view of winners' podium from the pitch when we lost the final match against our rival Iran still stays deeply in my heart. 

Japan Women’s Futsal National Team works very hard to open up the future of women’s futsal even in a limited environment; I can state this comparing to that of the other countries including in Asia.

They are the ones who grow up, staying hard-working hoping for a positive future through the bitter, hard, and tough experience last year.

I hope that the team will be even stronger for the future and be loved by the Japanese people. I will keep supporting the team as a former coach and do my best to contribute to encouraging Futsal in the future. 

Finally, I would like to express my hurtful appreciation. Thank you very much. 

ARIHARA Masaaki